An Angel in the Snow
by Taytay123456
Summary: A dark, wintery glimpse into the life of Renesmee Cullen. She is surrounded by stone-cold vampires while she, a living and breathing human hybrid, wants only to explore herself and the world around her. There is but one who understands her actions when she, herself, can't understand. Only one. And his name is Jacob Black. He is, and will always be, her Protector. WrittenIn2015.


I walked along the edge of the mountain top. Snow flurries were clinging to the long curls of my bronze hair that fluttered in the midnight wind. The temperature was well below twenty degrees, but I didn't feel too uncomfortable. I was wrapped tightly in designer jeans, boots, and a white parka that Aunt Alice had insisted I should have. My fingertips rubbed absentmindedly along the smooth edges of the beautiful coat as I gazed at the sight before me.

The dark blue sky stretched on for endless measures of time with twinkling stars sprinkled to and fro. I wondered- not for the first time- if there was a god watching from some unreachable place far above. With that thought, I let my eyes fall shut and took a deep breath of the crisp air. When I exhaled, all of my anxieties released me and my shoulders relaxed from their tensed posture. A major gust of frosted air knocked into me and I allowed my flexible body to rock with the blow. I swayed forward and came dangerously close to slipping off of the cliff some five hundred feet above the frozen ground. Yet I wasn't afraid in the slightest. My heart pounded with a rush that caused a small smile to touch my lips.

I heard an owl hoot and then listened closely enough to hear the soft, rustling sounds coming from the magnificent treetops as they danced in the wind. My smile grew as the gusts of cold air continued. I heard nothing but nature. Saw no one. I was alone. It was so silent that I could hear my own blood rushing lively in my veins. And I was happy. Truly, deeply happy in that moment. I began to weave a simple braid with the long locks of my hair before tucking my wool hat in the side pocket of my coat.

With my hair firmly secured, I took a step forward and hovered for a wonderful second before dropping through the air. The blur of the night and snow and cliffs passed by quicker and quicker and quicker until I felt my heart hammering so swiftly that it was impossible to detect a pause in between beats. I streaked downward like a bullet shot from a gun and I was grinning madly the entire way. I landed abruptly with a shocking jolt over five hundred feet below where I had stood fifteen seconds before.

I glanced down at my feet while grinning widely. I held my arms out and did a slow circle as I inspected my body. Not a single scratch. Not one broken bone. Part of me had been about ninety percent sure the half of my genetics that were vampire would prevent me from getting hurt, but there was a tiny part of me that hadn't been too sure.

So I had to test the theory. And, good God, what a rush testing that theory had been. I kept grinning as I darted forward. I flew over the ground with my feet barely skimming the surface of snow before jumping fifty feet in the air and cutting a front-flip. I giggled as I pulled a graceful dance move while hoping over a fallen tree trunk. I headed further South and reached my destination less than five seconds later. I stopped and took in another deep breath of crisp, cold air.

Before me was a beautiful sight. A body of water, too small to be a lake, but too big to be considered a pond. It was deep aqua in color and frosted over with silvery ice. The moonlight shone brightly and cast an illuminating glow on the tear-drop crystals hanging from the treetops. I stood underneath a small canopy of trees with the water's edge a mere few feet from me. I stepped forward slowly and continued to breathe deeply. The sense of freedom that I felt had adrenaline crashing through my veins. My breath was coming out in little puffs. Even with some vampiric abilities, I stilled tired rather quickly. I took a moment to catch my breath before cautiously putting one foot on the frozen water. I let my weight press down and grinned brightly when the sheen of ice did not give way under me.

I slowly brought both feet on the slippery surface and used every bit of my advanced senses to keep myself from falling flat on my face. After several minutes, I began to glide across the surface. The grin was all but plastered on my face as I twirled and whirled and danced. I tried to come to a halt and laughed loudly as the smooth ice kept propelling me forward. Channeling my inner ballerina, I did a series of graceful moves and leaped upward. I easily sailed ten feet above the ground before coming down and landing lightly on the tips of my toes.

I was breathlessly laughing when I heard it.

The muted snapping that caused my heart to skip a beat. I looked down and what was left of my breath was lost as the thin sheet of ice cracked underneath me. My heart began to beat violently as I turned. I attempted to take off with my incredible speed, but less than a millisecond passed before the ice completely gave way. There was no time. It happened faster than my own advanced speed could prevent. A muffled yelp left my mouth as I plunged into frozen depths. My body was instantly burning with iced fire. The cold was unspeakable. It left me stunned for a single moment. I kicked with all of my might, fighting panic.

My mind was quicker than any human and I used my supernatural speed to kick to the surface. It seemed as if only seconds had passed before my body became lethargic. Panic left a bitter feeling deep within my throat as I screamed inside of my mind. I screamed for my father. _Daddy! Daddy! Help me. By the river. Oh, God._

I tried to desperately keep hold of logic as I blindly groped in the murky, icy water for the frozen surface. I knew I could hold my breath longer than any human could, but the theory had never been tested. I _had_ to breathe. I could feel the burning increase within my chest as my body demanded for oxygen. It was essential for me to breathe. Never before had I been more aware of how much I truly was a human until that moment. _Jake! Dad! Momma, help me. Oh, my God. No, please. Please, no. Help me._

My body was completely stiff now, as if I was encased in concrete. I fought hard. Unbelievably hard to move myself, but I only began to sink further to the bottom. It was then that I realized I would die. I would stay beneath this body of water and die. Images of my family crushed me. And then I latched onto the image of Jake. _My Jacob._ I knew, somehow, that he wouldn't survive if I was to leave. With a burst of adrenaline, I kicked my numb legs and came a few feet closer to the surface. I could make out a blurry, distorted image of white moonlight. Hope flooded through me, but the pain in my chest was so intense that my mouth opened against my will.

And I sucked in a mouthful of water. My throat and body convulsed and I fought blindly for the surface. I had no idea how close I really was, but I saw the moonlight. I held onto that thought. _Moonlight, moonlight, moonlight. _My kicking became sporadic and wild. My thoughts were sluggish and my body gave up before my mind did. _No! Don't do this to me. Don't. Oh, God. Just swim. Swim, damnit._

And then I felt a hard, unforgiving jaw bite down on my upper arm. I was jerked through the water and I vaguely wondered if a shark had just taken off my arm. _How could a shark be in a pond? _All thoughts and pain were fading in and out as my eyes rolled wildly. Then I could feel no pain, but could hear a frantic voice through the darkness that ate at me.

Seconds later, I felt warmth. A gate of some kind opened within my mind and then I was flooded with agony. Deep agony inside of my stomach and chest. As if a full-fledged vampire had just ripped my intestines out. I choked and violently vomited warm water. My body spasmed just as violently. I heard the familiar voice, but I was unable to move. My fingers itched to grasp his hand. I could hear him speaking to me. He was panicked. Maybe beyond panic. There was a high-pitched ringing inside of my skull. It bounced around and smashed against my brain until I was sure I must have been bleeding from my ears.

Sobs erupted from my mouth as I rolled onto my hands and knees. Water continued to rip its way up my throat as I choked and gagged and cried. Tears streamed down my frozen cheeks. My breathing was erratic, loud, and hysterical. I could feel my body trembling so badly that I was almost vibrating. Jake was beside me. His body was plastered against my side and his warmth was what I craved. The ringing calmed to a dull roar and I could finally hear what he was saying.

"Nessie. Honey, Nessie." He sounded as if he was praying as he began to speak in his native language. His big hands roamed over my back and hair and cheeks as he let out one harsh sob and murmured, "Oh, baby. My baby girl. Come here. I have to get you inside. You'll go into shock. Nessie, come here. I have you. You're safe."

He scooped me up and then we were running. I was coughing as he pressed my head against his naked chest. His extreme temperature had me wrapping my frozen, wet body around him like a vine does against a tree. I locked my ankles around his waist and pressed my chest as tightly against his as I could. My lips trembled and my eyes continued to stream with burning tears. He murmured soothingly as he ran.

"I have you. You're safe, Nessie, you're safe. Honey, can you hear me? Shh, it's going to be okay. I have to get you to Carlisle. You're safe now, my sweet girl. Thank God that you're safe."

His voice and hands trembled as much as I was while he ran. I couldn't focus on his beautiful voice anymore because I was too preoccupied with his warmth. I shivered so hard that I nearly bucked against Jake's strong hold. He cursed heavily and shakily as the massive cabin came into view about a mile from us. He let out a booming yell that was likely to wake the dead.

"CARLISLE!" He screamed, "EDWARD!"

I attempted to speak, but nearly bit off my own tongue as my teeth chattered outrageously. I heard the high-pitched and horrified voice of my mother. "Jake!? What's happened to her!?"

I felt the blast of cold wind as the family came streaming across the field. I heard Dad rapidly say, "She was on the lake. Fell through. Nearly drowned."

"Inside now." Carlisle spoke in a tightly controlled voice, "No one touch her; we are too cold. Her body temperature is well below what it should be."

Jake rushed inside and I kept my eyes closed in an attempt to stop the endless wave of tears. He dropped heavily onto his knees beside the roaring fireplace in the parlor room. He rubbed uselessly at my arms while I kept my head tucked protectively against his chest.

"Renesmee," I heard my mother whisper, "can you hear me?"

I felt my grandfather's cold fingertips gently skim over my legs and I flinched. I listened as he explained, "There's no use in checking for any sprains or broken bones while her temperature is dropping so low. She's in hypothermic shock."

"Do something, Carlisle!" Mom shrieked and her voice broke on a choked sob.

"I do not know how her body will react to normal treatment." Carlisle explained quickly, "My guess is that normal treatment will have no effect on her."

Jake's deep voice was one of lethal intent, "My warmth isn't enough. She needs a hotter temperature than my body's one-oh-eight."

Carlisle sighed and instructed, "Run a hot bath. Turn the water-heater as warm as it can go."

"What if it burns her?" Esme's soft voice asked anxiously.

"It won't." My father's hard voice left no room for argument. I felt Jake stand and cart me up the staircase. There was a fair amount of commotion, but I couldn't keep my attention focused. I tried to listen to the voices and sounds, but it was all whirling around and around and my grasp was slipping. Like water through my fingers. My chest and throat were on fire, burning like the fury of the sun. My mouth felt glued shut, making it utterly impossible to speak.

I wasn't sure if it was my body trembling anymore; it just as easily could have been Jake's. We both seemed to be shaking continuously; much like a scared puppy would. Seconds passed and nausea welled up within my churning stomach. I kept my mouth clamped shut as tightly as I could, but a whimper slipped passed my lips. Jake immediately began to run his fingers through my hair and murmur, "Shh, I've got you, Ness. It's okay now, sweetheart."

I relaxed marginally, although the painful burning continued to eat at my throat and chest. My eyes were shut in a pitiful attempt to keep some of the nausea at bay, but when I felt a cold hand briefly brush against my arm, I trembled violently and instantly heard a deep, stunning grumble rip through Jake's chest.

I tensed even further and locked my arms around his neck. I heard a hiss that I knew belonged to Rosalie before Carlisle murmured, "Everyone just give Jacob and Renesmee space. Jacob, why don't you bring her over here?"

My fingers curled around the hair at the nape of his neck when I suddenly felt my body being lowered. A sound of panic sliced through my throat and I flinched as my heart soared and thundered against my ribcage. Jake cradled me closely and rocked in a soothing way as he tightly stated, "I won't force her to let go, Edward."

"Nessie," Carlisle spoke quietly, yet firmly, "You must let Jake set you in the bathtub. You're temperature needs to be brought up as quickly as possible."

I listened to my dad's soft voice as he murmured, "Come here, Nessie."

His hands were gentle, as they always were with me, but my arms and legs refused to loosen their grip. Dad's tone of voice was a mixture of controlled worry when he said, "Renesmee, you have to let go of him."

My entire body trembled horribly as I reluctantly loosened my hold on Jake. The uncontrollable waves of shivers increased tenfold the moment my body was a few inches from Jacob's warm. Silent, frozen tears trailed down my cheeks as my body curled closely against my father's chest. There- beneath the layers of pain and terror- was a measure of comfort from my father's scent and touch. My breathing was already shallow, but as I felt Dad step further away from Jake, I lost all breath.

"Jake," I gasped and let out a watery sob.

"I'm here. Right here, Ness." I felt more than heard him lunge forward. I felt the wintery cold of my father's body and the deep warmth of Jake mix and mingle as Dad slowly lowered me toward the bathtub. He said, "You will be okay, Renesmee. Just allow us to help."

I felt my legs touch the water first and the muscles in my body contracted painfully. I let out a high-pitched gasp, but abruptly cut off the sound when I suddenly realized how distressed the family was. The trembles didn't lessen even after Dad gradually laid me in the deep tub of hot water. With the horrid defrosting of my limbs came a new-found pain. Much like thousands upon thousands of sharp needles jabbing into my body over and over again. Being such a treasured and protected child by my family, I had never known physical pain until the moment that I had fallen into the frozen lake.

Several minutes passed with only the sound of my harsh breathing and the stirring of the inferno-like water surrounding my body. I felt Jake beside me with his hot palm in the water, gently holding my head just barely above the water's surface. My body's trembles lessened, but still came in randomly spurted waves. I coughed and winced at the deep stinging sensation.

"She will need water to coat her throat, Carlisle." Dad spoke softly and calmly, "She swallowed plenty of the lake-water and…and…" He trailed off and murmured in an off-handed tone, "Thank you, Jacob. There are no words to express. 'Thank you' isn't enough."

There was a long stretch of silence and Jake never spoke out-loud, so I assumed he was simply talking to Dad through his thoughts. Finally Dad replied to Jake's silent words, "Yes, Jacob. I understand more than you would think I do."

"Jake…" Mom's voice was beautiful and soft and completely worried, "What happened? Why was she at the lake? You and she were supposed to be going east to hunt."

"She wanted some time to herself, Bella." He replied in his husky voice as the hand cradling my head slowly began to rub comfortingly. "So I was giving that to her."

"You should know better than to leave her alone, mutt." Rosalie muttered.

"Shut up, Blondie." Jake answered casually, "I choose not to smother her because I know how much it upsets her."

"What are you implying, dog?" Rosalie hissed in irritation.

"Both of you…that is quite enough." Carlisle replied gently, "Jacob, how is her temperature now?"

"Better, Doc," Jacob murmured as he ran his thumb over my cheek, "She still isn't up to her norm, though."

"Very well." Carlisle explained, "We will wait until her temperature has risen more before bringing her to bed. Esme and I have turned on the central heating system and we also have a portable heater warming her bedroom. Bella, Edward, Jacob; I think it would be best if she were changed into dry clothes and immediately brought to bed. Jacob's body-heat would aid her as well."

"Do you think any type of medication will work on her system, Carlisle?" Bella asked anxiously.

"I'm unsure, but I will try." I could hear Carlisle as he stepped forward and handed an object to Jacob. He instructed, "Jacob, you will wrap her in this blanket when you pull her out of the water. I'm certain that her body will drop what little heat it has as soon as she's out of the tub. So as quickly as possible, Bella will put her in these dry clothes and she will hand Nessie back to you. Take her straight to the bedroom. Edward and I will be waiting there."

A second passed and I heard the quiet sound of the bathroom door closing. I heard a soft rustling as Mom set my clothes down on the bathroom countertop. She murmured, "Can you hear me, sweetie?"

I could smell only Jake and Mom within the room. The two people that I had had been the most comfortable within my short life. It hurt my heart to know that my feelings toward my mother had changed over the last year and I found myself annoyed with her quite frequently. She was the worst with her protective behavior. Right next to Rosalie and Dad.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked at the two beautiful creatures in front of my vision. I soaked in my mother's pretty features before turning my head slightly. I allowed my sense to be bombarded with the beauty that was Jacob Black. I wanted to reach up and softly trace the outline of his handsome face. I wanted to rub my fingertips across his chiseled jawline and run my hands through his ebony hair. Or dance my hands across the plains of all the glorious muscles he possessed. Or lay my head on his broad, bronzed chest and listen to the sweet lullaby of his heart beating.

"Jake…" I winced at the uneven, thread-bare sound of my voice.

"Hey, sweetheart." He murmured, "Bells and I have you. And you'll be just fine."

I turned my gaze to Mom and whispered, "Momma."

She gave a soft laugh of relief and said, "Hello, sweetie. Let's get out of those wet clothes and into bed."

Jake lifted me and immediately put me in the cradle of Mom's rock-hard arms. I heard Jake's feet shuffling about and before I had time to turn my head to look at him, Mom was ripping my wet coat, shirt, and bra off. I felt a deep blush settle on my cheeks as Mom used her vampiric skills to slip off my jeans and underwear before putting me in fresh undergarments.

She murmured, "You're already losing heat."

"Hurry up, Bella." Jake rumbled tightly.

"Oh, hush, Jake." Mom snapped as she gently pulled a big sweatshirt over my head and yanked a pair of pajama pants up my long legs. She demanded, "Grab her, Jake."

I barely had time to breathe before I heard Jake whirl around to face us and then he was scooping me up and darting out of the bathroom. I was shivering again, but I didn't mind as much now. I was tired and my movements were extremely sluggish, but I was coherent somewhat.

Which meant I could feel Jake against me. I could feel his warmth and smell his amazing scent. I breathed him in deeply as he came through the threshold of my bedroom. I glanced at Dad and Carlisle through heavily lidded eyes as Jake gently set me on the bed. He was just pulling a blanket around my body when Mom came into the room with thick socks. In a blur of rapid movements, she had socks on my bare feet.

I gave a tired smile and mumbled, "Thanks, Momma."

"Here we go, Nessie." Carlisle held out a tall glass of water and two pills that were no bigger than pebbles. He whispered, "I need you to take this. I apologize if it pains you to swallow, but it is necessary."

I knew there were several pairs of anxious eyes watching every move I made, but I felt the weight of Jacob's the most. Swallowing the tepid water was difficult, but I managed without incident. Dad's long and slim fingers plucked the cup out of my grip seconds later and gently touched my shoulder. He murmured, "We'll speak of this when you wake, Renesmee."

His tone was neither angry nor firm, but I felt an ominous threat in his words that left me with a sense of dread. Carlisle smiled softly and said, "Rest now, Nessie."

I nodded silently, but even as my parents and Carlisle drifted out of my bedroom I knew I would not sleep. I swallowed painfully and met Jake's dark gaze. I started to speak, but he whispered, "Don't bother hurting your throat, Ness, I know what you want. And I'll stay."

He came over and gently sat on the edge of the bed; his warmth hit me immediately and I felt my body begin to relax. I gave a soft smile that he returned, but I could still see the terror in his eyes.

I croaked, "It's okay…You keep me safe, Jake."


End file.
